Cost of Athlone flood defence scheme rises to €32 million

The final cost of the Athlone Flood Defences project could reach some €32m, it has been estimated.

Figures included in a 2024 report by the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller & Auditor General, on Tuesday showed that the expected total spend on the project at the of 2024was €32.15m.

The figure represents a 16% increase on the figure provided a year previously when the 2023 Comptroller & Auditor General report indicated a total spend of €27.67m, and a cost benefit, at that stage, of €48m.

The 2024 report said: “The vast majority of this increase is attributable to a wider scope of works being incorporated into the final design and construction inflation. Delays have occurred due to objections to a compulsory purchase order which was granted in November 2024.”

The Athlone Flood Alleviation Scheme is being led by Westmeath County Council with funding provided by Office of Public Works (OPW) which is also undertaking the construction of the scheme directly. The scheme comprises eight separate cells of flood defences at Deerpark, The Strand, The Quay, Brick Island, Marine View, Iona Park, River Al (Creggan), and Golden Island.

It involves some five kilometres of flood defences, comprising 2.5 kilometres of flood walls, and 2.5 kilometres of flood embankments, 38 flood gates, eight pump stations and about 6.5 kilometres of service diversions. It is expected to protect some 500 homes and 55 commercial properties.

It is viewed as a hugely beneficial project by locals affected by flooding.

When first announced in 2016, the Athlone Flood Alleviation Scheme was originally announced at €6m. However, the scheme has expanded in scope and detail since then.

Work began in November 2017, and deadlines for its completion have been regularly extended.

In April 2023, members of the Athlone Moate Municipal District were told it would be completed by the first quarter of 2024. In September last, another update pushed the anticipated completion date for the flood alleviation scheme to early 2025.

The Dáil was told recently that the scheme would be ‘substantially complete’ by the end of 2025.